Healdsburg Jazz Festival founder ousted
Citing money woes, the board of the nonprofit Healdsburg Jazz Festival has ousted festival founder and artistic director Jessica Felix—who created one of the country's premier small-scale jazz celebrations—and scratched next year's festival.
The 10-day June event, which according to board President Pat Templin has run a $30,000 deficit the last couple of years, is being put on hold for a year while the board rethinks its scope and musical palette.
One of the last “pure" jazz festivals, the Healdsburg bash has featured a legion of great artists over the last 12 years—among them McCoy Tyner, Dave Brubeck, Joshua Redman, Billy Higgins, Charles Lloyd, Cedar Walton and Bill Frisell.
Felix, whose long-standing friendships with musicians enabled her to bring top talent to town when she couldn't pay their usual fees, was informed at a board meeting last week that her job, which paid $50,000 this year, was being eliminated.
“I was devastated," says Felix, a longtime Bay Area jazz supporter and producer who co-founded the grassroots organization Jazz in Flight. “I dedicated 12 years of my life to this. It's my passion. I worked for many years without any income, doing it as a labor of love." Felix is consulting a lawyer and couldn't comment on the festival's financial situation. She left the board in 2008.
The 10-day June event, which according to board President Pat Templin has run a $30,000 deficit the last couple of years, is being put on hold for a year while the board rethinks its scope and musical palette.
One of the last “pure" jazz festivals, the Healdsburg bash has featured a legion of great artists over the last 12 years—among them McCoy Tyner, Dave Brubeck, Joshua Redman, Billy Higgins, Charles Lloyd, Cedar Walton and Bill Frisell.
Felix, whose long-standing friendships with musicians enabled her to bring top talent to town when she couldn't pay their usual fees, was informed at a board meeting last week that her job, which paid $50,000 this year, was being eliminated.
“I was devastated," says Felix, a longtime Bay Area jazz supporter and producer who co-founded the grassroots organization Jazz in Flight. “I dedicated 12 years of my life to this. It's my passion. I worked for many years without any income, doing it as a labor of love." Felix is consulting a lawyer and couldn't comment on the festival's financial situation. She left the board in 2008.
